Cramps
by IObjectYourHonor
Summary: Ema is on her period and Klavier can't cope with a hormonal female in pain. Pain, mood swings, and a bit of fluff in the space of one day! In response to a PWKM prompt: Klavier/Ema while Ema is having excrutiatingly horrendous cramps from her period? With Klavier not knowing how to act around a hormonal female in pain. Klema (duh!)
1. The Fops Dates The Forensic Investigator

**Set in a similar timeframe to 'A Forensic Investigator Calls a Detective' i.e. super close to the start of Spirit of Justice. Ema is a forensic investigator here. It's a long one so buckle your seats kiddos.**

 **Chapter 1 – The Fop dates the Forensic Investigator**

When a person plans to make a crucial life choice that could be the best thing that happened to them, they need to consider _every_ consequence – good and bad.

This is advice that Klavier Gavin followed to a T when he planned to make a very crucial decision, that would become the best decision of his life.

Dating Ema Skye.

Ever since their first meeting, he had been enamoured with everything about her. She was so… different. She didn't squeal, burst into tears or faint when they'd first met. The way she spoke so honestly and freely (sometimes too freely) to him. The way her teal eyes sparkled when she talked about forensics. Her (mostly) collected composure. Her quirky but charming outfit. Those pink glasses. Her attitude towards him was not so enthusiastic, but he would change that. And over time, he did. Almost two years of working in a strongly-like/hate relationship will do that.

He was positive he knew _everything_ about Ema at the basic level. Favourite colour, food (apart from Snackoos), music (not his), season, her family, ideal holiday – the list goes on. She knew most of these things about him too, eventually. He knew, well he was _told_ , that he'd learn much more about her if they became an item.

That simple statement got him thinking. Ema Skye was the kind of person that Klavier realised he could try to find out everything about and she'd still surprise him with something. It was exciting and intriguing, and he liked it.

He started asking all the men he knew who had partners – Phoenix, Apollo, Gumshoe, even Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth (he had a _history_ , not a partner at the present). _How do you ask a woman to date you when she's Ema Skye?_ Probably a more important question was, _What should I expect?_

Most of them said useful information, always finishing with 'Watch out for the Snackoos.'

Edgeworth had given him the crucial piece of advice that caused Klavier to deeply consider, and go through with, dating Ema. It was the best thing he ever did, outweighing his career choices in both music and law (which is saying something because he remembered saying the same thing for these choices too…).

Asking the question itself hadn't been that hard – it went much smoother than Klavier thought it would go. It had gone something like this:

'Uh… Ema?'

'Hmmm, yeah?' She was fingerprint analysing at the time and Klavier just needed to ask her _right now_ or he felt like he was going to burst.

'Would…. Would you like to…' Ema was staring at him now, his usually cool composure gone, leaving a nervous blubbering prosecutor. _Get yourself together, Gavin. Just. Ask. Her._ He stopped, breathed, and started again, 'Fräulein, would you like to go out with me?' Part of him face palmed for such a cliché question and tried not to wince. The other part just hoped she would answer him already. She was taking her time and he expected the worst. He looked away from her, starting to turn away when he heard,

'Sure, fop.'

She said it quietly. Almost a whisper. Like she wasn't sure herself of what she'd said. But when his blue eyes met her teal ones, there was no doubt in them. They were sparkling brighter than when she talked about forensics.

He remembered it clearly. Since they both had worked together, present in each other's lives for most of everyday for the past nearly two years, Ema decided it was easy just to move in with him. They shared the news with almost everyone, amused at the different reactions of shock, laughter, nonchalance, and the multiple knowing, almost expectant, smiles.

The number one comment Klavier got from the various female friends apart from, 'You guys are _so_ cute!' was, 'You're just what Ema needs. You balance each other out.' While he eye-rolled the first comment, he was glad that Ema's friends could see that he suited her. It gave him hope for their future.

The number one comment Klavier got from his best friends apart from, 'About bloody time!' was, 'Watch the emotions – you never know how she'll respond.' Klavier mostly laughed that comment off – he knew exactly how she thought. At this stage, there was very little in Ema's emotions that he called unexpected. He felt prepared for whatever came their way.

It was the piece of advice Lana Skye gave him on the side: 'Just wait until she gets her period. Live through that and then come and tell me you're still together.'

That worried him greatly. She just winked with a wry smile on her face, and walked away leaving him slightly stunned and speechless. He thought (and seriously hoped) Lana was exaggerating, maybe to try and weed out the pathetic boyfriends that her little sister occasionally picked up. How wrong he was.

Ema reassured him every time he brought it up (almost to the point where she was annoyed) that she wasn't _that_ bad. Klavier had to believe her – he had no prior experience to go on.


	2. It Begins

**Chapter 2 – It Begins**

The living nightmare started one early Saturday morning without warning. 8:00 am. Klavier was used to murders gruesome of every kind and was used to seeing blood. But he was positive that this much blood was not meant to come out of a female every month.

It was _everywhere._ Her pyjama shorts. Down her legs. His bedsheets. His hand (which had been resting on her leg moments ago,). _How is this physically possible?_ He wondered.

Ema assured him it that this was normal on the first day, after she had woken up (from him shaking her awake with an alarmed look on his pale face) and apologised multiple times for the mess on the bedsheets. Soon everything (Ema included) was cleaned up, and Klavier was convinced that the day could resume its relative, domestic bliss and normality.

Not.

He had fixed her favourite breakfast to make her not feel so guilty about her mess. Only to walk into their bedroom with her breakfast on a tray and find her curled up in the foetal position, moaning. Quickly putting the tray on her bedside table, he asked frantically what was wrong.

'…Pain… Cramps… Half-dying here but… don't worry…' Even though her voice was weak, Klavier rolled his eyes. Ema was still sassy as ever, no matter how much pain she was in. Which was a lot. He quickly remembered he had to be the caring boyfriend here.

'Well… uh… what do I do, Liebling?' Klavier was at a total loss.

She answered with an annoyed grunt, 'Well, _fop_ , a… ugh… hot water bottle would be… ugh… absolutely wonderful right… about now.' Klavier winced. She never called him fop unless she was a) annoyed, b) being playful or c) angry at him. He had a strong feeling that it wasn't b).

He could swear he heard Lana laughing in his mind, tauntingly singing, 'I told you so, I told you so.' He gritted his teeth. He would help Ema and get through it for her sake, if not his own. So, he rushed to heat up a hot water bottle and brought it back to Ema where she quickly snatched it from him and applied it to the lower part of her abdomen. It was an almost immediate cure for her pain, almost, but it completely changed her mood.

'That's much better, danke, Klavi'. Klavier couldn't help but grin stupidly for a moment when she used her pet name for him. However, he was slightly weirded out at her sudden change of mood. She was just snapping at him earlier and now she's in a super happy mood. And here Klavier thought he knew all of Ema's moods. _Note to self, never underestimate Ema's moods. Ever._ Suddenly, he was afraid of what would come out of Ema's mouth next and what mood she would be in when she said it. He heard her open her mouth to say something and tried not to wince. He needn't have worried as she only said,

'Klavi? Can you go get me some pain tablets? I've run out of them.' She said it so gently. It was a welcome change from her sass earlier. He was too busy enjoying the sweet, happy tones of her voice and didn't answer her. Her voice called him out of his reverie, 'Klavi? Please?'

Of all the people capable of puppy dog eyes, Klavier would never pick Ema as one of them. Now he was really weirded out. She was usually mature, _emotionally stable_ , good company, _independent_. This pretty girlfriend sitting in front of him was not resembling the Ema he knew. But he had to do what she asked before she turned into a fire spewing goddess of wrath, which he predicted was soon if he didn't do anything.

'Of course, Liebling. I'll be back soon – how about you watch a movie while I'm gone and then when I come back, we can watch it together?' She nodded gratefully and managed to move from the bed over to the TV in their room and perused through the DVDs in his collection, all while clutching the hot water bottle as if her life depended on it. He smiled, walking over to her, and kissed her on her forehead. He grabbed the keys to his car and left the apartment, sincerely hoping that Ema would be fine in his absence.


	3. Pain and its Remedies

**Chapter 3 – Pain and its Remedies**

30 minutes later, he was at the door carrying grocery bags. Not content with _just_ buying period pain tablets, he decided he'd make her as comfortable as possible and buy her favourite snacks (Chocolate Snackoos, ice-cream, pretzels - you name it), as well as ingredients for one of her favourite meals (Asian Chicken Noodle Soup – extra spicy), and extra pads _and_ tampons (he had no idea what she used and felt slightly guilty that he didn't – weren't boyfriends supposed to know these things?). Managing to find his keys amongst all the stuff, he was in the process of unlocking the door when he heard footsteps loudly approaching the door. He had no idea what Ema was doing but he steeled himself for every possible scenario when he opened the door. What happened was not one of those scenarios.

He opened the door and Ema practically tackled him over with a gripping hug, dropping the hot water bottle at his feet. There were tears, followed by her muttering something about how she'd been so worried, before bursting into more tears. It all happened in the space of about two seconds and Klavier had never felt more confused in his life for the third time today. He placed the bags at the doorway and held her.

'Shhh, Ema, what is wrong?' He stood there, stroking her hair as she sobbed into his chest, for what seemed like minutes before she finally calmed down and answered,

'You were gone for _so long_. I-I was worried that…' She burst into tears again… He held her tighter, almost rocking as he stood to try and soothe her while she tried to speak again, 'I was worried… that you might have been in an accident… and… and… died!' More waterworks. Klavier was feeling thoroughly soaked through already without the extra tears. But he suppressed a sigh, glad that she was concerned for him, at least. He was aware that the neighbours across the hallway from them could probably hear everything and on a different day, he would have been embarrassed. At this point in time however, he didn't care.

He was about to say something before she seized up in his arms, clearly in more pain. She was groaning now, tears still streaming down her face although for a different reason. He picked her up, an arm under her shoulders and an arm under both legs while she clasped her arms around his neck, and walked to the bedroom (which thankfully was only a few steps down the hallway from the door) where he placed her gently on the bed. Then he rushed back to the door, grabbed the hot water bottle which was still relatively hot and rummaged through the bags to find the pain tablets. He brought them back to the room, unsurprised that Ema was curled up in the foetal position.

 _I don't even want to think about how much pain she's in_. It hurt him to see her in pain but he handed her the hot water bottle, which he knew remedied some of the pain. He sat the tablets down on the bedside table beside the barely touched breakfast and a box of tissues surrounded by multiple, wet, used tissues. He shot a glance at the movie which was still playing. It was a comedy and yet the tissues suggested that Ema had been crying for at least most of the time he was gone. He exhaled silently – this was so unlike Ema. It was so irrational. And this was exhausting. Her multiple mood swings, unexpected responses and outbursts, and the sheer pain that she was in was taking a toll on Klavier. He didn't realise how tired he was until he went to get her a glass of water to have with the tablets and had to focus intently on the water rising in the glass just to keep his eyes awake and his mind engaged.

He walked to the bedroom, bracing himself for the unexpected, to be pleasantly surprised that she was lying straight on the bed, watching the comedy movie with a small smile on her face and one hand clutching the hot water bottle to her lower abdomen again. He placed the glass of water on the breakfast tray and sat on the edge of her side of the bed. She looked gratefully at him, but it wasn't the puppy dog eyes this time. It was the Ema he knew – slightly defiant but she knew and appreciated help when it came to her. He reached over and opened the tablet box, popping out two tablets and handed them to her with the glass of water. She smiled again, taking the tablets as he paused the movie and explained himself,

'Liebling, you know I was only out getting tablets for you,' he rested a hand on her leg, 'I just… happened to get other things while I was out. That's all. I didn't mean to take so long but there were some things that I wasn't sure on,' he exhaled, 'It was meant to be a bit of a surprise, I guess.'

'I-I know, Klavier. And thanks for the tablets. I just… cars get to me, you know, with my parents and all,' tears formed in her eyes, 'I always worry when you're in a car without me but today… it was all too much…' A tear rolled down her already tear-stained cheek but Klavier reached out his hand to hers and she clasped it tightly.

'I will always come back to you, Ema. If one of us should worry, leave it to me to worry about you,' she smiled briefly, 'Now, let me go get the other things, ja?' He went to go get them from the open front door, where he'd left them.

'Is it a puppy?' Ema asked hopefully. Klavier turned around as he got to the bedroom door and gave her an eyeroll,

'I said _things_ , didn't I, Liebling?'

'Pupp _ies,_ then?' she asked a little louder. He just laughed in reply and walked to the front door. He returned a moment later with a bag on each arm and placed them on the bed. Ema watched in amazement as he pulled out pads, tampons, Snackoos, ice-cream, pretzels (she didn't know if that was for herself or for him…), ingredients for…something… but sadly no puppy. He passed her the packs of Snackoos and pretzels, and was about to go and put the ice-cream in the freezer when he noticed more tears in her eyes.

'What, Schatz? Did I… do something wrong?' She shook her head before sobbing,

'I'm… I'm gonna be fat!' and she burst into tears. _Again_. Klavier had no idea how to react,

'Ema, you'll never be fat. Even if you were, I'd still love you…' _Now that was just dumm, Klavier. Dummkopf._ Ema just continued crying, 'No, I didn't mean it like _that_. Ach, Ema… please…' All her could do was pass her the tissue box while his mind raced as to what to do about his blubbering girlfriend. Again, he thought he could hear Lana laughing in his mind.

 _Maybe I should call and ask her for help._ It would be nice to have some insight from someone who _clearly_ knew what to expect. He thought again, _No. Klavier, you don't need help. You've handled tough murder cases, seen your own brother become a crazed, murderous man and you can't handle a slightly emotional female? What kind of person_ are _you? Pull. It. Together._

He inhaled deeply (for what he thought was the fifth time that morning). He put the ice-cream back in the plastic bag it had been in and placed it on the floor at the end of the bed. He sat on his side of the bed and moved closer to her. They sat in silence for a moment, only her soft sobbing could be heard. Nothing he felt he could say would comfort her, so he comforted her the best way he knew how. He held her with one arm behind her and the other arm around her waist while his head rested on hers. She was still holding the packets of snacks and they stuck into him. He moved his arm from around her waist and grabbed the pretzel packet. With Ema's help (her hands were wet from drying her face when the tissues were too wet), he opened the packet and started eating them one by one.

'See, Liebling? I'm eating them and I'm not becoming fat.' He smiled as he popped two in his mouth, enjoying salty taste and the crunch. Ema glared at him.

'But you're… you're… you.' She finished, unable to make a good argument back. He looked at her, cocking an eyebrow as he popped another pretzel in his mouth, smiling with that winning smile of his. It was Ema's turn to roll her eyes and she succumbed to eating pretzels with him. He resumed the movie and they sat, eating. They finished the pretzel packet soon enough and moved on to the Snackoos. Ema couldn't resist throwing a few at his face, playfully before eating them and half the packet before Klavier barely got his hands on a Snackoo.

 **That was a long one! Stick with me here :)**

Schatz = sweetheart

Dumm/dummkopf = dumb/dumbhead


	4. Anger and Love

**Chapter 4 – Anger and Love**

They finished the rest of the Snackoos in the next 10 minutes while the movie kept playing. Klavier still held Ema in his arms while they watched. The comedic movie revolved around the main character who was quite stupid and made stupid mistakes which compounded to create unrealistic but hilarious situations. While Klavier was laughing at the ridiculous character, Ema was just getting frustrated with him,

'But you would never do that if someone said that to you!' she exclaimed as the character's friend told him to 'put a sock in it' and the character took his sock off and put it in his mouth, to Klavier's amusement and Ema's disgust, 'Seriously? That's not even funny, it's just gross. How stupid can you get?' she asked, annoyed.

'Oh, Ema, it's _comedy_. You just got to laugh with it, no matter how stupid it is.' Ema shifted in Klavier's arms, clearly in disagreement, but she said nothing. The character then transitioned into a slapstick comedy routine, which Klavier loved but Ema hated more than the last, in her opinion _feeble_ , comedic act. Ema couldn't stand it – she moved out of Klavier's arms, grabbed the TV remote and stopped the DVD.

'Was? What's wrong, Liebling?'

'The movie was annoying me. It's just… stupid. And dumb. And… boring.' She pouted and Klavier got the distinct feeling that she had a craving for some Snackoos,

'Ok, ok,' Klavier was about to add that she had been enjoying it earlier, but he didn't want to push her mood so he quickly suggested something else, 'well, how about we watch another movie?'

'No. I just… don't want to do anything,' Klavier frowned at this. Ema was back to being… _not Ema_. It had been fine for the past half an hour but now he was frustrated. He tried to put his arm around her to comfort her, like before but an annoyed, angry Ema doesn't like being touched. She recoiled in annoyance and anger and shifted to sit on the edge of her side of the bed, staring at the ceiling with her back facing Klavier.

Silence. Klavier was always one to point out firsts and if it was a different day, he would have pointed out that it was their first proper fight, but this wasn't the time. He knew that in a sense, this fight didn't count because Ema wasn't usually _this_ moody. _This isn't a good day. And this isn't a good way to spend the day._ He had to do _something_. The silence was getting louder in his ears and the tension was thick. He heard Ema sigh and briefly thought it was shakily trying to hide a sob,

'Ema?' She didn't say anything, didn't move, except for hanging her head so she now studied the floor intensively, 'Please. What's wrong?'

'Nothing, Klavier!' Her sudden outburst startled him as she took a deep breath, 'Just. Nothing.' Her voice, though it sounded angry was frail and shaky. Klavier could tell she was holding back tears that she didn't want to let flow down her face. Even still, she wiped her eyes, drying them on the bed. She breathed again,

'I'm… I'm sorry, Klavi. I… I… I'm just…' she sobbed and took another deep breath, 'You've been taking care of me all day while I've been in pain, lying on this bed doing nothing and… I haven't really been grateful. I'm not always in control of my hormones when I'm on my period…'

'Oh, really, Liebling? I hadn't noticed.' She turned around to face him and he gave her his charming smile. She laughed, the last few tears streaming down her face, 'You are slowly driving me insane today, but it's still you and I still love you.' He reached his right hand out to her, and she clasped it with both of her hands. Her hands were small in comparison to his, but his hands were slightly softer than hers – a pet peeve of Ema's. She caressed her right thumb over his knuckles, her right hand on top of his. His hardened, guitar-worn fingertips rested on her left palm, gently tapping to some unknown rhythm. A small smile formed at the corner of her mouth. He moved forward and reached out his left hand to her face. His fingers tucked part of her fringe behind her ear with his thumb caressing her cheek while she continued holding his other hand between hers. He leant towards her and watched her gaze at him before she closed her eyes and his lips met hers. He closed his eyes. Her lips were slightly wet from her tears but she was still faintly smiling. Her thumb stopped caressing his hand and his hand stopped caressing her cheek but they stayed in place as they say there, sharing a kiss.

There was no open mouth, no battling tongues. Just Klavier and Ema and silence. There was no tension, no anger. Just lips meeting, so much unsaid but this moment spoke the words for them. They both could have stayed like that forever in a perfect moment. They stayed there as long as they could.

But, alas, hunger calls to every human and Ema's stomach decided to interrupt the perfect moment. She couldn't help but laugh, breaking off the kiss as Klavier laughed too. He opened his eyes to meet her clear teal ones. He licked his lips, salty from her slightly tear-soaked lips and smiled,

'Well, liebling. I think that's our cue to have some food, ja? Come on, I've got the ingredients for Asian Chicken Noodle Soup – extra spicy, just the way you like it. Shall we make it together?' He didn't really give her the choice, as he hopped off the bed, his right hand still clasped between hers and led her, hand in hand to the kitchen.


	5. Broken

**Chapter 5 - Broken**

Ema might have been in a better mood but her mind was not focused on making lunch. She was in charge of chopping the vegetables but almost chopped her finger on two occasions. Klavier let her finish chopping, but not without keeping an extremely careful eye on her. She doubled over in pain while he focused on the broth so he had to reluctantly leave the broth to simmer (after some sassy persuasion from Ema) while he dashed to the bedroom to get more pain tablets. He noticed the ice-cream was still sitting at the foot of the bed, probably melted by now. He took the melted ice-cream and the tablets to the kitchen, putting the ice-cream in the freezer. He put the tablets in Ema's suddenly clammy hand while she hobbled to the plush couch and sat while he gave her a glass of water. Once she took the tablets, she noticeably relaxed after a minute and Klavier went back to checking on the broth. He had just added the chicken to cook in the broth when he noticed Ema suddenly rushing to the bathroom. He thought he noticed a small dark patch on the couch but didn't really pay attention – he was about to serve up lunch. Ema suddenly appeared back at the edge of the little kitchen and Klavier noticed that she'd changed her pants. He frowned slightly,

'Are you ok, Ema?' She seemed to be noticing the couch and she was slightly frowning,

'Uh… uh, yeah. I just… may have… leaked…' She closed her eyes and sighed. She couldn't believe she'd just said that out loud in front of her boyfriend, it made her sound like a poorly toilet trained 5-year-old and she was embarrassed. Embarrassed to stand in front of her boyfriend who used to win the hearts of every girl in LA and tell him that not only had she messed her pants but… oh no…

'On the couch, too…' She put her hand to her face, determined this time _not_ to cry. She was tired of crying and she _hated_ her hormones. She knew she was almost unbearable to everyone during this time of month but here was Klavier. Determined to stick with her because he supported her and _loved_ her. And she loved _him_ , didn't she?

She kicked herself for even doubting it. Every time she looked in his eyes, she knew those blue pools reflected her own. Even now, as she was standing there breathing deeply, he turned the stove off and approached her. He was calm as always or he appeared to be. Ema knew his calm façade must be wearing thin by now. But he kept it together for her sake,

'Don't worry, Liebling. There's cleaners for that. Are you feeling alright?'

'Yeah, yeah.' He was so calming. She just had to be in his presence and everything would sort itself out with time, 'Let's just have lunch. I'm starving.'

She walked past him and opened the cupboard doors. She obviously wasn't soothed enough as and went to grab two stacked ceramic bowls with shaky hands. The effect was immediate – Ema heard Klavier gasp as her shaky hands dropped the bowls, shattering the bottom one and putting a crack in the top one.

' _EMA!'_ She had never heard him speak like that and it terrified her. She wanted to go and curl up on the bed, eating Snackoos until she had no more tears to cry but she couldn't move – there were shards of ceramic littering the kitchen floor with the cracked bowl in the centre of the pieces. She couldn't bear to look at him. She turned to face the cupboard and, curling her hand into a fist, banged her hand against it before the tears came. She held in her sobs, crying as silently as she could. Klavier's sharp shout rang in her ears, over and over again.

Klavier was at his wits end. He hadn't meant to snap at Ema. He heard a thump against the cupboard door. He sighed and closed his eyes. _Five seconds ago, I was comforting her and asking her if she was ok and now I shout at her? What kind of a boyfriend are you, Klavier?_ Klavier had never felt so low.

 _We don't want to hurt the pretty Fräulein_ , _do we, Klavier?_ Kristoph's voice taunted eerily in his mind and laughed, _Do we?_

Klavier gasped and opened his eyes in horror. He couldn't let that voice keep talking to him. _Deep breaths, Klavier. He's not real, not real, not… real._ As he breathed in… and out… the almost manic laugh turned into a lighter, teasing laugh that he'd heard once before.

Lana.

 _I guess both of us need her now._ Klavier thought. He didn't want to call Lana, it was a sign to him that he had given up on Ema. He was worried that Lana would kick him out and leave it to her. As much as he hated to do it, he didn't really care about the consequences right now. It needed to be done. And since Ema was _in_ the kitchen, surrounded by pieces and he was outside the danger zone, he had to be the one to do it. He breathed deeply and, noticing Ema turned away and in silent tears, spoke gently,

'Ema, I'm just going to make a call and I'll be right back to clear this up, alright?' She nodded, not looking at him, her head resting on the cupboard door. Klavier walked into the bedroom and grabbing his phone off his bedside table, made the call.

 **Ok, it got a little dark, but I like to imagine that Kristoph still haunts Klavier when he gets emotionally worn down and vulnerable, like this situation. But it's at the back of his mind – Ema doesn't know it exists for now.**


	6. Lana Comes

**Chapter 6 – Lana Comes**

All he said was, 'Ema's on her period. I've lasted this long but I need your help.'

Lana had laughed at first, knowingly and then promised to be over there in 5 minutes – it was both a blessing and a curse that she lived so close. Klavier grabbed the broom from the small cupboard in the hallway and started sweeping up the pieces into a box he'd found before putting the box in the rubbish. He was just leading a somewhat reluctant and stubborn Ema to the table and placing a (new) bowl full of spicy soup in front of her, when Lana knocked on the door and let herself in,

'You do know your door was wide open, right?' Klavier facepalmed – of course it was, he had forgotten to shut it after he had brought the things from the shops to the bedroom. _Which means everyone on the floor probably heard_ everything. _Today is going really well._ Lana smiled knowingly again. She looked at Ema, who was eating her lunch, albeit miserably,

'How are you feeling, Em?' Ema looked at her sister and then at Klavier. Her face was blank, almost emotionless. _Achtung, she looks drained_ , thought Klavier. Ema held her gaze on Klavier for a couple of seconds before looking back at Lana and answering,

'It's been a rollercoaster.' Lana looked at Klavier, amused, the corners of her mouth hinting at another smile.

'Well that's one of your better responses. I'm just gonna chat with Klavier for a bit, yell if you need me, ok?' Ema nodded before eating more of the noodle soup. Lana grabbed Klavier and walked into the bedroom, sitting him down,

'Now, Klavier, tell me _everything_ that's happened today. Including Ema's moods.' Klavier looked a little stunned at all the information he had to tell Lana, but he did it. It was hard to believe so much had happened already and it was only 2pm! It was a long day, he realised.

'…her hands were shaking as she grabbed some bowls and they dropped and smashed. And I… may have… raised my voice… unexpectedly?' There was no sugar-coating what had happened, 'Ach, I feel terrible, Lana. She was so upset and I feel so guilty. I think we both need our space. Ema is emotionally drained and I'm the same, Lana. Ach, you weren't exaggerating when you mentioned surviving through her period.'

'Well you are the first boyfriend Ema has had that even thought of calling me. You've done well, Klavier. I'm sure Ema knows it too, but at the moment it's a bit tense between you two. I'll keep her busy out there, why don't you stay in here and relax too? Dinner's on me. From the sounds of it, you both need it.'

Klavier was never one to spontaneously hug women, let alone his girlfriend's sister, but there was no other way to express his gratitude. He was relieved that she wasn't kicking him out and leaving it for the big sister to handle. She was giving him a chance to recompose himself. Lana was surprised at the hug, but hugged him back,

'Viele Danke, Lana! I owe you one, Fräulein.' Lana was about to reply when she heard her name called by Ema,

'The duty of an older sister calls. If I need anything, I'm sure Ema will help.' Klavier simply smiled, 'You two do complement each other, you know.'

'So people tell me.' Klavier answered, remembering everyone's comments on their relationship and the advice he'd received before he asked Ema out. Never in his considerations did he ever think about what he'd have to do when Ema was on her period. _But, I wouldn't change it for the world_.

He walked out to the kitchen to grab some (now cold) noodle soup. At the dining table was Ema, with her empty bowl and Lana sitting beside her. Klavier gave Ema a small smile, which she returned. This made Lana smile again. _Well I'm glad that we make Lana happy,_ thought Klavier. He knew Lana hadn't had an easy life - bringing up Ema, shutting her out to protect her and serving the consequences for her actions. But seeing Lana smile so much when he and Ema were together, made him feel like his relationship was somehow making the world a better place – as crazy as that sounded. _Achtung, my brain is rotting to mush,_ he thought and he walked to the bedroom.

The next couple of hours passed relatively easily – Klavier put a movie on while he ate lunch (he didn't really like spicy food but he obliged for Ema's sake) and slept for a while, giving in to his exhausted body. Once the sound of Ema and Lana laughing together woke him from his nap. The movie was long over so he turned the TV off. He couldn't get back to sleep so instead he grabbed one of his acoustic guitars and strummed some chords, played some spontaneous melodies. He hadn't done it for a while, he hadn't had the time. It was good to be in touch with music. He did miss playing in concerts, making music for the fans. It calmed him. He stopped when Lana came in once to grab the pain tablet packet. He put down the guitar and seized his opportunity to ask,

'How is Ema?'

'She's brightened up a lot. We've had a good chat,' Klavier was glad. Lana was a lifesaver, 'But eventually, you two will need to talk.'

'I know… but I don't know how.' He had never had trouble talking to Ema, even when she hated his guts. This day was by far, one of the weirdest days he could remember.

'Oh don't worry, I'll go and grab dinner soon so you two can talk and whatever while I'm gone.' And with that, she left the room. Klavier was slightly concerned, but turned the TV on to see that a favourite TV show of his was on. As he watched, he played out different ways to talk to Ema in his head. In his mind, they all ended badly. He still felt guilty about shouting at her and he still didn't quite know how she would react to him, despite being so confident about it earlier. The show ended and Klavier realised he hadn't really paid attention to it as much as he thought he had…

Lana knocked on the door, her purse and car keys in her hand,

'I'm going to get dinner, so I'll leave you two to it.' She winked at Klavier, who's stomach was now filling with butterflies that had butterflies in _their_ stomach. He had no idea why he was so nervous – it was never like this, even when he was about to go into court or on stage.

Lana left the apartment, shutting the front door behind them. Ema tentatively stepped into the doorway of the bedroom. Klavier took a deep breath.


	7. Guilty Love

**Chapter 7: Guilty Love**

At first, there was silence. Everything else seemed to be more interesting than looking at Ema. She seemed to be avoiding his glance as well.

 _Hurry up and say something, Klavier. Do something. Anything!_ He moved to the end of the bed, the guitar lay on the pillows, and motioned for Ema to sit beside him, which she did. There was a small gap between them and it was the strangest feeling to Klavier.

'Ema…' He started. He couldn't find the words to say anything,

'Klavi…' She grabbed his hand and interlocked her fingers with his. This gave him comfort and courage. He noticed that she hadn't used his full name, but her pet name for him. He knew she still loved him. _Why am I struggling to just tell her?_ He deep breathed again, looking into her beautiful teal eyes,

'Ema… I'm… I-I feel so guilty about snapping at you earlier, Liebling. I didn't mean to. I-I… just…' Words started to fail him again.

'Well it _was_ my fault, Klavier. I guess I was still pretty upset that I'd ruined the couch.' She winced, 'I can't believe I did that either. I'm 24 and you'd think my body would know what to do and have my life in some kind of order, scientifically speaking. But _no._ ' He squeezed her hand,

'Look. It's been an emotional day for both of us. I definitely hit a new low that I never want to experience and you've been all over the place. Achtung, it can't be good for either of us,' Ema looked slightly concerned at the mention of Klavier's emotional low point but he continued, 'All I want you to know is that… I love you, Ema Skye. And I will never stop loving you.'

'Well I have something that I want you to know as well. I may have been all over the place today but I have never seen anyone care for me the way you do. I noticed how you winced when _I_ was in pain. And I noticed an eyeroll somewhere today as well,' Klavier winced at that. _So much for cool and collected, Gavin,_ 'but you knew it was just hormonal me. I can see. Everytime I look into your eyes, I see what you feel. Even now, I can see how you feel. And Klavier Gavin? I love you. I could stare into your eyes for an infinite amount of time and never get tired. Except for when you do that sassy wink of yours. You can keep that to a minimum,'

'What, this one?' Ema didn't know what he did when he winked but it was sassy, flirtatious and charming at the same time. It made her heart melt a little everytime he did it, but she would never let him know,

'Yeah, _that_ one,' It was her turn to give him an eye roll,

'The point is, Klavier, I will never stop loving you either. You beautiful,' She leaned towards him slowly,

'sassy,' She leant closer,

'glimmerous,' her nose practically touched his,

' _fop_.' She whispered. Her forehead gently rested against his as their noses touched. Ema breathed in Klavier's scent. It was intoxicating. She seriously needed to investigate which brand he used – it was addictive.

All the while, she held his gaze – his blue pools reflecting her teal seas. She thought she saw his eyes water with tears as she leant and met his lips again with her own. He sighed into the kiss. She knew that this was what they both needed – again, the kiss said all the words that needed to be said. This kiss wasn't as gentle and calm as the last one, but it wasn't a battle of passion. It eased away all of their troubles.

Klavier's butterflies dissolved and he knew that just like he would always be there for Ema during her most trying time, she would always be with him – at his highest points where nothing could stop him but Ema could bring him back to Earth, and at his rock bottom points where his brother's voice haunted the depths of his mind and only Ema's voice could call him back to the light. _It's no wonder they say we suit each other._ He smiled as they stayed sitting there, lips locked.

Although Ema was slightly jealous of Klavier's soft hands and beautifully shiny hair, she took pride in the fact that her lips were softer than his. Once again, she found herself willing to just sit there in their modest bedroom, as time stood still around them. Up until now, she thought the only person who would ever truly understand her was Lana. She now had to amend that thought, as the other person who understood her was sitting in front of her with his eyes closed, savouring the moment. She almost laughed at the thought.

A voice brought them both out of their reverie,

'Well, it's nice to see that you two kissed and made-up. Literally' In Lana's eyes, Klavier and Ema looked like two teenagers who had just been caught having their first kiss. She laughed at her own joke. They both avoided Lana's eyes, sheepishly looking at each other, a blush creeping over both of their faces. How did they miss hearing the front door shut? Lana laughed,

'Well, I do have dinner here,' she held up a Chinese takeout bag that smelt delicious, 'but I'm happy to eat this all to myself if you two have something better to do…' And with that, she walked out to the kitchen. Klavier looked at Ema, eyebrows raised. His face did the asking of what they wanted to do. As tempting as it was to stay here with Klavier, the smell of Chinese takeaway could not be resisted and Ema, her hand still locked with Klavier's, led him out of their room to sit at the table near the kitchen.

'So, all is forgiven, I understand? No more guilt about the sofa, the bowls?' Ema looked at Klavier,

'I think so. The only thing I'm guilty of is loving this fop,' Lana just glared at how disgustingly sweet Ema was talking as she handed Ema a plate of dinner. She was sure it was the hormones talking as Ema continued, 'I guess you could call it,' She looked at Klavier, 'Guilty love.'

Lana just eyerolled.

Klavier sat back in his chair, hands behind his head, a sassy smirk on his face, 'I could get used to you saying my song titles, Ema.' Ema instantly regretted what she said and she joined Lana in an eye roll. Lana handed Klavier a plate of Chinese. He took it and began eating as she said,

'Well if that's the case, Klavier, you'll have 3 more days of this to hear Ema reference your song titles.' She smiled as Klavier tried not to spit out a mouthful of fried rice, before he turned to Ema, horrified, and whispered,

' _4 more days?_ ' Klavier felt like crying.

 **This is the longest story I've ever written. Personally I don't cramp so I couldn't relate to poor Ema but hopefully it was accurate enough… Hope you enjoyed!**

Liebling = darling, love


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